The Promise of a Lifetime
by Chaos Invoker
Summary: Rianne one day finds herself a target of the Worms, only to be defended by a mysterious individual she knows only as Shade. Just who is this man behind the mask...? KR Kabuto, AU/AR
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1: Savior From Beyond

June 16th, 2009, 10:30 AM – the Legarda LRT Station was jam-packed with people of every imaginable background: workers ready for another day, teachers and students on their way to class… There was hardly any room to breathe. See, they were all rushing, especially the students – no one wanted to be late on the first day of class, right?

Of particular note was a young, uniformed, petite-framed girl with sweeping black hair, bumping into people as she ran frantically; she was less than 5 minutes away from being late! She didn't normally care about being on time, but the first day of the school year was… special. It helped make a good impression on her professors, not to mention allowed her to make a bit of advance scouting on which classes she'd need to exert extra effort in.

"Ah!" she gave a small scream as she bumped into someone, falling on her bum. She got up, dusting the rear of her skirt as she looked at who it was: a 30ish, bejeweled woman in a purple dress. "Sorry, ma'am," stammered the girl. "I was in a bit of a hurry, that's all –"

The woman seemed not to hear. "Young lady," she said in a foreboding tone as she beckoned her to come closer. "Might this old lady give you a small piece of advice?"

The girl was bewildered; why would this woman, a complete stranger, be interested in her? It wasn't that she was particularly alarmed. The elderly woman didn't look too threatening, and she herself had no idea what the _old lady_ could do to her. "Err… ok?" she asked, blankly. "What is it, ma'am?"

"Take care of yourself this year, child," the old crone warned, "This next school year will be like nothing you've experienced. The faces of your sweetest dreams shall appear to you very soon... Unfortunately, so will those of your nightmares."

"Hey, what?" asked the young woman, blinking rapidly. Most of those words just went way over her head. "I don't understand."

"_Steel yourself, young one,_" the old lady's voice had dropped to barely a whisper now, yet with a commanding note that took the girl quite aback. "_When you march forth to meet it,_ _the future knows no bounds._"

She blinked again, only to find that the crone had somehow disappeared. With a shrug, she continued to school, now running faster than ever. That little run in cost her valuable time; now she really WAS late. Adding insult to injury was the fact that it wasn't even that early in the morning, giving her no excuse whatsoever. Until now, she had always arrived early on the first day of school; for her to be late for the first time ever was unacceptable! Besides, she didn't want to draw attention to herself by coming in while a professor was in the middle of his first-day orientation. Of all things to hold her up, it had to be some old hag spouting off cryptic warnings...

_Dammit, it's all her fault!_

At the same time, though, she couldn't help but wonder what the woman meant by what she said. It might just have been random advice, but then why would the old crone, a complete stranger to her, bother her with it? Something was gonna happen... But how would she have known that? The advice sounded a lot like the ramblings of an old lady, but the girl decided to watch herself, just in case.

Before long, she was running up the stairs to their classroom on the 2nd floor. _12A, 12B… Here we are._

Silently, she opened the door, and slipped inside. The professor, who had been writing down his grading system on the board, turned to look at her, as did her classmates. "Rianne… delos Reyes, sir," she panted, clutching the teacher's table for support. "S-Sorry I'm late…"

To her relief, the old man smiled. "You're lucky it's the first day," he said, marking her name on the class register. "Have a seat," he added, observing how her breath came in short, labored gasps. Rianne happily complied.

Later that night, after classes were over, she and her circle of friends sat in one of the fastfood chains just outside school. It was group tradition: on the first day of the school year, since their high school days, they would eat lunch in this particular place. And of course, after their meal would come the mandatory exchange of information – in short, gossip. It was, as they say, a girl thing.

"So, tell us, Rianne," began one of her friends, a slim, pigtailed girl named Jenna. "How come you were late today? It's a first, right, girls?" she looked around at the rest of them, who nodded their assent.

Rianne obliged. She told them about the strange woman and her pronouncement of the things that lay ahead, 'like nothing they've ever experienced', expecting them to fall over laughing at the absurdity of it. Instead, though, they looked at each other with their mouths hanging open. "What?" she asked. "What's gotten into you guys?"

"Well… come to think of it," recalled Emily, the bespectacled girl next to her, "'He' died this month a year ago, and since you both were close..." she continued, uneasy; the two other girls shot her a warning look. "I – Forget about it, Rianne, sorry…"

She didn't answer; she knew who 'he' was. Up until last year, there had been a boy in their group, a friend of hers who had recently confessed his attraction to her. At that time, though, Rianne hadn't yet been ready for a relationship, so she said nothing. Unfortunately, the boy took her silence as outright rejection and, after two weeks of heavy drinking, ended up getting run over as he crossed the street. The thought caused tears to well up in her eyes.

"Sorry, Rianne!" repeated Emily, alarmed. "Forgive me… I forgot how close you two were," she muttered. Truth was, all four of them were shook up by his death; the three of them, Jenna, Emily and Kathy, had been his confidants.

A few minutes passed and the girls were walking along a deserted street, on the way to Emily's place; she was lucky enough to live near school. They chatted about pretty much everything as they walked: from what each of them had been doing over the summer to their respective love lives (which, understandably, Rianne took no part in). Finally, talk turned to the class schedule given to them.

"In a word, fucked up," observed Kathy bitterly, who until that moment had been silent. "No, wait, that's two!" she added a moment later, realizing her mistake, which they all laughed at. She looked up at that point and tugged Rianne's arm. "Look."

It was a group of drunkards, sitting at a table just before the bridge they were to cross on the way to Emily's house. Upon sight of the girls, they roared and hooted raucously, waving empty beer bottles in the air; fear was written in the lines of their bodies, especially Emily. _Of all the times and places,_ she thought, horrified.

"Well, lookie here, fellas," one of the drunks yelled to his mates. "Whaddya say we invite these ladies for a drink or so?" They chuckled evilly as they stood up and approached the girls, who backed away in horror. "You girls won't mind a drink… right?"

At that moment, though, a cloaked figure could be seen approaching, head bowed and hands in pockets. He walked past the girls and faced the drunkards, who started shouting in anger. "Who the hell are you!" their leader demanded of the stranger. "Can't you see we're busy here!"

The figure shed his cloak; underneath, he was clad in a dark gray hoody and faded jeans, with a mysterious silver belt around his waist. His hair was shoulder-length, shaggy but clearly well-taken care of, while most of his face was hidden behind a blank, black mask. All they could see of it was his left eye, dark and smoky, glaring at them with deepest loathing. "My teacher once told me," he said, addressing the drunks,

"A muse gives one's life meaning, while her smiles inspire his. Thus she must be defended at all costs."

_What…?_ Thought Rianne as she heard that line. Someone else she knew had once said a variation of it before, referring to _her_ as the 'muse'. But – it couldn't be -

At that moment, though, a red, beetle-like creature the size of a computer mouse flew to him and slid itself across his belt. "Henshin!"

"_HENSHIN._"

Rianne's eyes widened as the young man faded from view, replaced by a figure clad in bulky silver armor. He then clutched the beetle's horn and pulled it gently forward; his armor jutted out in certain places. "Best keep your distance, ladies," warned the enigma without looking at them; even the drunks backed away, clearly not knowing how to react to this new arrival. "Cast Off."

"_CAST OFF – CHANGE BEETLE!_"

There was a sound like a cannon blast as pieces of his armor flew off, revealing a sleeker red armor underneath. His face was hidden behind blue eyes and a large horn, akin to a beetle's, could clearly be seen on his head. He slapped a pad on the right side of his belt, then disappeared from view; next moment, the drunkards all seemed to simultaneously drop dead. He then reappeared right in front of the girls.

"T-Thanks," murmured Rianne, whose awe at their rescuer was clearly written in her face. "Who… are you?"

The man in the armor turned to look at Rianne, who stepped backward out of intimidation; she wondered whether she had inadvertently offended the man, as she couldn't read his expression underneath his mask. It was only natural that she was shocked at this unexpected development – being saved by someone they hardly knew – but still… She was worried. It wasn't right to offend someone who just saved them from being raped, right?

After a few seconds, though, he answered her question. "I'm… someone from beyond. I can't sleep in a coffin with this vermin running around." He jerked his head at the bodies of the drunkards he had just killed.

"But," Rianne ventured once more, "What should we call you?"

The man hesitated for a few moments before giving her his answer - which, to their disappointment, was hardly one at all. "…"

He turned back to where the drunkards had been. They were nowhere to be found, having been replaced by green, insectlike humanoids. They then walked toward him, obviously eager for revenge. He held the dagger in his right hand in a tight grip, waiting for the monsters to make a move.

When they just stood there, he charged, brandishing his blade.

tbc


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2: Kabuto's Chosen One

The armored figure looked at the Pupaworms, letting out a sigh of exasperation. His mentor did warn him this would happen, but that didn't make it any less troublesome. He probably should've killed them right away, but he didn't know they were Worms at the time; besides, if they weren't, it had the additional risk of incriminating the girls. Behind him, they screamed; they clearly hadn't encountered these monsters before.

"Clock Up!" he shouted once more as he slapped the pad a second time. A moment later, his Zecter echoed: "_CLOCK UP._"

Time seemed to slow to a crawl around him; to him, the Worms were taking slow, snaillike steps toward the girls, who stood frozen like statues. The enigma gripped his Kunai tightly as he slashed away at each one multiple times, stabbing the last one deep in the chest. Just then, the Kabuto Zecter announced: "_CLOCK OVER!_"

The Pupaworms all exploded at once as the flow of time returned to normal. The mystery man replaced his Kunai in its holster on his right hip, then wiped his hands on each other, when a scream came from behind him. He looked round; one of the girls, Rianne, was backing away from another, evolved Worm, one with a black body and a short tail that glowed in the dark. He lunged at it, landing a solid kick to its face. It then got up with a roar, his eyes flashing red.

He approached as the Worm threw a punch his way, which he dodged by ducking to the right. He then countered with a reverse punch to the monster's chest, sending it back a little. This was followed by side thrust kick to the stomach, then a knee strike to its face that sent it reeling. He looked down at his Zecter, where a row of three buttons was, and pressed the one on the far left. According to his mentor, this was what to do when attempting to defeat evolved Worms, which could take a hell of a lot more than just bare punches and kicks before going down. The Zecter's voice sounded:

"_One._"

The enigma then followed up with another thrust kick, then a front kick to the Worm's gut; it doubled over in pain. He then pressed the second button. "_Two_."

With the intent of finishing the Worm, he then rushed forward and executed a vicious uppercut that sent it flying high into the air as he pressed the third and final button. "_Three_." Electricity seemed to be playing around the horn on his head, coursing all the way down to his right foot and charging it with power.

"Rider Kick!" he shouted as he jumped into the air, doing a reverse somersault when he was at the same level as the Worm.

"_RIDER KICK._"

He then bisected the monster with a powerful axe kick at the middle; as he landed, the two halves exploded. Shortly afterward, the Kabuto Zecter flew away as he reverted to human form, facing the girls, all of whom had the identical expression of mingled shock, fear and awe at what they had witnessed. "Thank you," the girl called Rianne repeated. "Really… who are you?"

It was hard to tell what his feelings were towards this insistence on the part of the girl. Even the part of his face not covered by the mask was inscrutable. He made a gesture as though to brush the question aside, then gently shook his head. "You girls can call me Shade," he said once more. "...Sorry, that's all I can tell you."

But Rianne wouldn't listen. "No, your real name!" her heart beat faster as she said this. "Please?" she added, in a pleading note. That voice was familiar to her; hell, it was the voice she missed hearing the most. But it couldn't be, right?

Shade acted as though he hadn't heard. "Anyway… Take care of yourself, alright Rianne? So much the better if you can forget you ever saw me," he added, bending down to pick up his cloak while addressing all four of them. He turned to walk away, the Kabuto Zecter flying to him as he once more assumed his Rider form.

"Wait!" one of the other girls, Emily, cried out, but it was too late. She then looked at her fellows, then at Rianne, who stared at the spot where Shade was standing just a second ago. A single word came out of her mouth as she continued on to Emily's place, but none of them could make it out.

Meanwhile, the youth was at a certain convenience store just outside a police camp, having parked his motorcycle, the Kabuto Extender, outside. Sure enough, his master was already inside, helping himself to some coffee and a chicken sandwich. "Hey, Leon!" he greeted, standing up and slapping him on the back. "So, how was it?"

"Horribly, horribly wrong," he replied tersely as he removed his hood and mask. "Why would Worms be targeting her, eh? I actually had to get out there and take out the trash _right in front of them!_"

The older man just laughed at this, offering him a bottle of ice-cold soda. "Drink, it'll cool your head," he said in genial tones. "Besides, what are you so afraid of? Could it be," he said, amused, eyes wide, "Kabuto's chosen one can't even handle four normal college girls?" He started laughing. "Oh, the shame! The guys at ZECT would laugh you out of the force if they knew…"

Under the table, Shade kicked him in the shins. "Shut up, Michael," he retorted, clearly annoyed as he drank some of the soda he was given. "I've got my own reasons for not wanting to show myself to them," he added. "It's better people like them don't get caught in the whole mess about the Worms, right? It'll help them sleep easier at night."

Michael wasn't listening; he was rubbing the shin Shade had kicked just now. "Did you really have to kick me that hard!" he moaned as he drained what was left of his coffee. "Besides, I already know the real reason you don't wanna show yourself to them," he snickered. "So stop it with that excuse –"

He gasped in pain as Shade's foot hit his other shin; the look on his face was clearly not one of amusement. "Shut it, or the next one'll make sure you don't have kids ever," he threatened in a tone of mock rage. A moment later, though both of them laughed aloud; Michael signaled for the clerk to come over. "Two beers, please," he requested, giving him a 100-peso bill.

An hour later, at Emily's house, all four girls couldn't sleep for obvious reasons. They just narrowly avoided being raped and killed, thanks to a mystery man… about whom they knew very little. And the little about him they did know and suspect… Rianne tossed and turned as she thought of him, the man who had called himself 'Shade'. He reminded her too much of someone who had been very important to her – and who, unfortunately, she had taken for granted. She got up slowly, and went out to the balcony to stare at the cloudless night sky.

A moment later, she was joined by Kathy, who looked concerned as she put her hand on her shoulder. "What's wrong, Rianne?" she asked. "Is it… it's that guy calling himself Shade, right?"

Rianne nodded. "I just…" she began, "You don't think, it could be… _him_?" she wondered aloud; Kathy's mouth fell open in shock at this. "I know, it sounds crazy! But… That line he said when he first appeared, it sounds like something _he_ would… Besides," she added, "How else would he have known my name?" As she said this, she remembered his words:

_Take care of yourself, alright Rianne? So much the better if you can forget you ever saw me._

"Not to mention…" she added as an afterthought, "Why else would he want us to forget we ever saw him?" Kathy merely smiled sympathetically as she hugged her friend. "I know what you mean. They sound the same," she agreed as she let go. "They even look somewhat alike, although it'd probably be different if that guy took off his mask…"

She took a deep breath, then continued. "Thing is… _he's dead_, remember? They say he was pronounced dead on arrival at the hospital."

"But we never actually saw his body," Rianne persisted; she was so sure, and so hopeful, that it was him. "He didn't even have a funeral or a cremation or anything like that!" Tears began to well up in her eyes as she looked at Kathy; they made it hard for her to discern her friend's expression. "Besides, do you remember what I told you guys earlier today? What the woman told me? '_The face of my dreams and nightmares'_?" She looked down, tears falling to the tiled floor. "Maybe she meant him?"

This time, Kathy placed both hands on her shoulders. "I understand, Rianne," she said in a kind voice. "You miss him. But he's dead… He wouldn't want you to be moping over him, right?" she hugged her again, this time more tightly. "Go to sleep, it's late now."

With that, she went back into the bedroom. Rianne stared up at the bright, full moon, thinking of him. She was convinced he was somewhere out there, but… where?

_Leon…_

Next moment, Rianne went back inside as well.

tbc


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3: The Specter

By that morning, the whole of Rianne's block knew about the specter who had saved her the night before. This was evident when she found herself swarmed from all sides by their classmates, each wanting to know just what happened. Overwhelmed, she backed away a few steps while Emily and Kathy held them off. "A little order, guys – She's been through a rough night, as you can see –"

After a few minutes, the uproar died down; the three of them (Jenna had gone off to play games for a while) breathed a sigh of relief. Rianne glared at her two friends, who shook their heads frantically in panic. "It wasn't us!" they said quickly, looking at each other. "Which means…"

"Jenna…" Rianne muttered. "No wonder she's not with us right now." Just then, one of their classmates came out the door, a glasses-wearing boy who appeared to be younger than the rest of them. He glanced back at the classroom before glaring resentfully at her. "Hi, Percy!" greeted Emily cheerfully, her eyes flashing from behind her own glasses; it was known among the four of them that she harbored a bit of a crush on him, too. "So… what's up?"

But he ignored this. "You…" Percy muttered, staring up at Rianne. "When he was alive, you hardly acknowledged him. You practically pushed him in front of that truck the night he died!" he pointed an accusing finger at her. "And now you want him to come back…!"

Emily and Kathy sighed; Rianne looked away to a speck of dirt on the floor, feeling the tears coming again. She wanted to rage at Percy for not understanding, but the truth was she felt the sting of his words. If only she'd been a bit more honest with her feelings, then Leon might not have… She opened her mouth to speak, but she broke off when Kathy looked her way. It was she who talked to Percy on Rianne's behalf:

"Percy, give her a break," she said, exasperated. "None of us wanted him to die, alright? If anything, she's probably the one who got messed up by it the most!" Kathy added, referring to Rianne, whose face was streaked with tears as Emily hugged her comfortingly.

"You were there," Kathy persisted, unable to keep the anger from mingling with the exasperation in her voice. "Weren't you? You saw her damn near break down during that mass we had for him! She wants him back just as badly as you, if not worse!"

Over her shoulder, Emily gazed sadly at Percy, who struggled for something else hurtful to say. Words failing him, he went back to the classroom, but was stopped by the rest of the class on their way out. He looked at his PSP's digital clock; it was now 9:30 AM, meaning their professor wouldn't show up. With one last look of disgust at the still-sobbing Rianne, he left to go to his locker. Emily watched him go down the stairs, still with the look of sorrow on her face.

"…C'mon, let's go, too," Emily said to her friends. Still with her arm around Rianne, the three of them departed as well.

Meanwhile, Percy stormed off; the way his feet hit the ground suggested it too had wronged him. Really, she was annoying. She was the reason Leon had spiraled downwards before his fatal accident, and now _she_ had the nerve to wish him back? He snorted derisively as he opened his locker. He was almost glad Leon was dead, as it caused Rianne to finally realize what she had meant to him, and what he meant to her. _Don't it always seem to go, that you don't know what you've got till it's gone…_

Percy was surprised to find a letter addressed to him, on top of his other books and belongings. It consisted of only one line in a handwriting he recognized very well: _GP, right now._ GP was that internet shop behind KFC, where he often played during break time. He was on his way there anyway, so why not?

_Wonder what's in store for me there,_ Percy thought, smiling to himself. Locking his locker, he stood up and headed for his hangout.

When he got there, though, Percy was surprised to find someone, wearing a hooded longcoat over a dark gray shirt and faded jeans sitting outside the shop. The figure beckoned Percy, who waved the letter, to come closer; the boy obeyed, sitting down beside him. Somehow, he felt like he knew this guy…

"You got the note, then, Percy?" said the stranger; that voice seemed all too familiar, as well. He then removed his hood and his mask… and as he did so, Percy nearly fell over in disbelief. "L-Leon!" he gasped as he saw the face of his supposedly-dead friend. "So, then… _you_ saved Rianne and her friends last night?"

"Shh," he said, smiling nervously as he looked around for anyone who may have heard that outburst. "I'm supposed to be dead, right? Dead men aren't supposed to be walking around in public!" he told his old friend as he put his mask back on, giving him a cheeseburger he kept in his pocket. "My treat," said Leon under the mask. "And yep, that was me, alright. Wait… don't tell me," he muttered after a while. "She told you about it, then?"

Percy shook his head as he took a bite out of the sandwich. "No, it was Jenna," he replied, taking out his PSP as he did so. "She sent us a text about what happened last night. You should've seen the look on Rianne's face earlier, though," he added suddenly. "She was actually crying over you, can you believe it?" Percy sure as hell couldn't. He had already made it clear he held her responsible for Leon's supposed 'death', her emotional breakdown at his requiem mass notwithstanding.

To his surprise, though, Leon greeted him with silence. "You'd better go," he said, looking at his cell phone. "If I remember correctly today's your cheer rally? I saw the signs when I snuck in to give you your letter," he recalled. Percy's eyes widened as he smacked his forehead; yep, today was that day, alright! He stood up and turned to leave, but Leon put his hand on the younger boy's shoulder. "Wait a moment."

Percy turned back to his friend, who gave him a sleek-looking mobile phone: a Nokia, by the looks of it, though he didn't know what model it was. "A belated birthday gift from me," Leon said happily. "Text me if you need me, alright? And one more thing," he added, his eyes widening as he recalled something apparently important. "If you're talking about me among them, refer to me as Shade. Alright?" Percy nodded.

Leon then gestured in a way that told him to go now. "Watch after her for me!"

Percy made a thumbs up as he ran, turning right at the campus gates. After the mandatory inspection, he headed straight for the gym, seeing Rianne and friends there. "Wait!" he shouted as he approached; Kathy looked round, seemingly expecting him to bash Rianne again. "I'm sorry about earlier…" Percy began, forcing himself to look her in the eye. "I… just lost it at that moment, that's all." He bowed, still keeping his eyes on Rianne's, as a gesture of apology. To his relief, she smiled slightly.

"No… it's fine," she said, the warmth in her voice somewhat marred by how it was shaking. Not that Percy could blame her, though; come to think of it, he _was_ somewhat out of line earlier. "Just – "

But the rest of her words were drowned in the scream of the crowd that stampeded their way out of the gym; they were followed by the basketball team, similarly yelling their heads off out of fear. Percy found it comical, in a sick sort of way; those guys were supposed to be the big men on campus. If even they were running like scared little girls, then that would mean…

_Monsters, then…?_

He took out the phone Leon had given him and sent a text. At that moment, though, green, bug-like humanoids came out of one of the gym's basketball courts, arms outstretched like zombies. At the sight of Rianne and her friends, one of them let out a murmur of delight; he took one look at his fellows and approached the girls, who quite understandably backed away in terror. Percy, meanwhile, felt a rush of wind beside him. And then the words came.

"My teacher once told me," began Shade, "Real men never fuck anyone up if they don't have it coming to them." He then swept his left hand to his side, catching the Kabuto Zecter as he did so, then slid it across his belt's buckle. "Henshin!"

After the flash of light, Shade was gone, replaced by the armored warrior once more. He took out a large axe from somewhere and began swinging away at the Worms, some of whom were blown away by the impact. He then gripped the axe like a gun, blasting the Pupaworms into bits. That moment, though, the others who had managed to escape attacked from behind.

_Aww, hell!_

Shade got up, his left hand clutching the Zecter's horn as he did so; parts of his armor jutted out in places. "Hey, Percy, you might wanna take care of the girls!" he called, looking back at his… partner, then at the girls, whose eyes narrowed in suspicion. "Cast Off!"

"_CAST OFF – CHANGE BEETLE!_"

Percy obeyed, taking Rianne and Emily by the hand as he looked at all three of them with a sense of urgency. "You heard him, we'd better go – " he said, tugging at them. "It's not safe here.

"But – "

"Come _on!_" he repeated, leading them to the café beyond the gym.

Meanwhile, Shade dodged blows from the Pupaworms, countering with his own as he kicked one in the back and punched another in the head. He then unsheathed his Kunai from the rest of his Kunai Gun, slashing and kicking the Worms in all the vital areas; all but one exploded when he was done. But the one that was left…

It moaned and groaned as the green outer shell melted off, revealing a more sinister-looking black and white carapace underneath that made it look like some sort of demented cricket. It then disappeared from view, attacking Shade from all sides and tossing him around like a ragdoll.

Shade then stood up after crashing into a nearby post, panting as he felt the effect Worm's blows all over. "I've got one like that, too," he muttered as he slapped his right waist-pad again. "Clock Up!"

Simply put, Clock Up sped up the Rider by slowing time down to the point where seconds passed like minutes. It was a great help when dealing with evolved Worms - which had that very same ability. And so Shade and the Worm fought all over the halls, leading them to the place where Rianne and friends were hiding (along with Percy). A vicious kick to the head sent the Worm crashing into the wall, forcing him out of his Clock Up.

"_CLOCK OVER!_"

Similarly, Kabuto's own Clock Up ended just a moment later. The Worm got up with difficulty; it was obvious this battle was over. His fingers found the Kabuto Zecter's buttons, which he pressed in order:

"_One – two – three_."

"Rider Kick!" announced Shade, pushing the Zecter's horn forward as energy played on the horn on his head. And when he pulled it back, the energy coursed all the way to his foot.

"_RIDER KICK!_"

He then jumped a foot off the ground, bringing his right heel crashing on top of the Worm's head and blowing it up. With a sigh, Shade reverted to human form; he then pulled off the Kabuto Zecter and released it into the air. "Well, Percy, I'll be off now," he said, turning to his friend. "Bye!"

And with a wave, he disappeared, Percy staring off after him. He felt a light tap on his shoulder and looked round; all four girls were glaring at him, stony looks on their faces.

_Oh, shit._

tbc


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4: Full of Surprises

"Was I hearing things right?" Kathy demanded, her voice shaking dangerously. "Percy, you actually _know_ Shade?"

Percy goggled back at her, a look of panic on his face. _Damn you, Leon, for getting me into this mess! _ He thought. It was as if he intended to have these girls on him like flies! After a moment, he decided to feign ignorance; he met Kathy's glare with a look of puzzlement. "Err, what?" He stood up, refusing to look at them as his fingers tightly gripped the strap of his messenger bag. "Hey, I'd better go, girls – see you tomorrow –"

But Rianne wouldn't have it; she seized the back of Percy's belt as he tried to escape. "We're not finished with you yet, _Perseus_," she said severely, her brown eyes locked on to his own black ones. "Don't you know it's rude to run out on a girl that way? You'll tell us what you know about him," she threatened. "If you refuse, it's not gonna be pretty!"

Percy gulped in spite of himself; Rianne often projected a cute and adorable image, but even some of the profs were more than a bit unnerved when she got fired up. And judging how she just used his full first name, she definitely _was _fired up right now. His eyes found Emily, who grimaced at him apologetically but said nothing. He expected it, but was grateful all the same; among the four girls, she _did_ happen to be the closest to him. His eyes then flew from Emily to Kathy to Rianne, whose expression softened.

"Please?" added Rianne; he noted the change in her tone of voice. "You're his best friend. Surely you want him back just as much as we do?"

He hesitated for a moment, then turned back to face them. "The problem is, I _really_ don't know that much either," he said in a slightly mournful tone. After a moment, he decided to give them a small, harmless bit of the truth. "Although… yeah, he reminds me of him, too." He found himself meeting Emily's eyes a third time; she smiled slightly at him. "He seems to have been sent to protect you specifically, Rianne," he addressed her again.

Her eyes brightened as she heard this; that sounded exactly like something Leon would do, alright. Not to mention, in refusing to tell them his real name, he _practically_ admitted he was him. All the same though, Rianne wanted to hear it from him; she looked Percy in the eye like she did earlier. "Percy… will you promise to help us find out who 'Shade' really is?"

He hesitated for a moment before nodding; Rianne, unable to control herself, leapt up and hugging him tightly, causing him to nearly fall over. When at last he had extricated himself from her embrace, he turned to leave for the second time "I'll be off, girls," he told them, his voice taking on a somewhat pleading note. "Just call me up at home if you need me, alright?"

Unknown to the girls, Percy's heart was thumping in panic. He had promised them (reluctantly, but a promise was a promise, right?) that he'd help them uncover Shade's real identity, but Leon didn't seem to want to show himself – not just yet, anyway. He felt a pang of guilt as he remembered the look of pure happiness on Rianne's face just now.

_What she doesn't know is that the one she wants to see doesn't want to show himself yet,_ mused Percy sadly. After a moment, he took out the phone Leon had given him and dialed his number. The phone rung for a few moments before redirecting him to Leon's voicemail box.

"_Please leave a message,_" said a female voice, followed by a beep. Percy cleared his throat, and then opened his mouth to speak. "Leon. We need to talk. Can you meet me outside my dorm in an hour?"

An hour later, Percy arrived at his dorm along Katipunan Avenue, only to find the landlord his things in boxes outside his door. "You're out," said the landlord, by way of explanation. "A strange young man in a long coat arranged it with us earlier." _Leon,_ thought Percy. "Apparently, you're moving in with him. We're sending these over to your new place," added the landlord with a kind smile as Percy opened his mouth to ask just that.

And then, he felt someone tap his shoulder. It was Leon.

"You've heard, then?" he took off his mask, grinning. "C'mon, let's get something to eat. You're probably hungry after that battle a while back," he looked at Percy, who felt like laughing; yep, it was the same omniscient Leon he knew, alright. A moment later, Leon laughed as his stomach growled. "I thought so. Let's go!"

The two of them then rode the Kabuto Extender all the way to one of the fancy restaurants in Cubao; another one of Leon's treats, he said. He had chosen Cubao not just because of the many nice places there, but because of its proximity to his and Percy's new home – Camp Crame. They rode around the shopping center for a while, looking for a place to eat, before parking in front of a certain place near Araneta Coliseum.

"Tell me, Leon," Percy began, awestruck. "Where do you get your money?" He had gotten him a new phone, a new place, and now this treat; surely it wasn't cheap? The phone alone probably cost him quite a hefty bit. Leon, though, turned to him with a thin smile on his face. "I'm part of ZECT," he said simply. "They pay us quite a bit to deal with the Worms – not that I need payment to protect her," he added, after a moment. "So, then, let's eat!"

After around two hours, Percy was full to bursting. T-bone steak, barbecued chicken, New York cheesecake… Leon really knew how to live, alright. In fact, Percy ate so much he could barely go down the escalator after their meal! "Thanks, bro," he managed a smile that seemed a bit like a grimace. "Was it really ok for you to go spending that much on _me?_" he wondered aloud as his friend looked his way; it wasn't that he was ungrateful, but that he didn't quite understand how and why Leon could spend so much for him.

Leon laughed, waving his hand dismissively as he patted Percy on the back when they reached the foot of the escalator. "It's been a year since we last went out, right? This is just a bit of catching up, if you will!" He said as they mounted the Kabuto Extender.

"Don't let go, alright?" he instructed Percy, who promptly wrapped his arms around his torso. "Alright, we're off. I've got one more surprise for you in the garage," he whispered before stomping on the pedal and shooting off.

For all his style and flair when it came to fighting Worms, Leon had the tendency to drive like a madman. Even on a red light, he'd zip and weave in and out of traffic – to the annoyance of more than a few other motorists, who even screamed curses at them. More than once, a traffic enforcer had them pull over, only to immediately back away upon seeing the ZECT insignia on the Extender's side – Leon called this one of the many 'privileges' of ZECT members. Just as people give way to ambulances, so should they for ZECT – Worm threats weren't to be taken lightly.

"You're just using that as an excuse to break traffic rules," accused Percy when they entered the camp, though he was grinning all the same – his friend actually had a point. Leon's reply was:

"My teacher once told me: laws were meant for man; not the other way around."

"'Screw the rules, it's an emergency', then?" Percy summed it up for Leon, who nodded approvingly. He always had this penchant for spouting off the wackiest, yet wisest things he'd ever heard. "That's about right."

"We're here."

It was just what one would expect from the house an average policeman (Leon was technically one; apparently, ZECT was part of the police force): simple, with only the barest personal touches on the exterior. And then Percy noticed the sealed garage, wondering what was inside. "Hey, Leon," he remembered suddenly. "Didn't you say there was something in there for me?"

Leon looked up; he remembered having said that just earlier. He then looked at Percy and nodded, a big grin on his face. "Yep, that's right. It can wait till tomorrow, though…" he added after a few moments, pocketing the garage door opener as he spoke. "Here, lemme show you to your room – "

Leon led him through the front door into an office of sorts, containing a desktop computer, shoe rack, TV and work table, among other things. He noted the Kabuto insignia on the table, on top of which was a memo pad and a mug full of pens and pencils, just what one would expect from an office. A few seconds later, Leon cleared his throat; Percy looked at him, but he was smiling. "Neat, isn't it?"

Percy nodded. He followed the ZECT dude into the next room, the largest so far, which contained the kitchen, the living room and the dining area. "I sometimes fall asleep on that thing over there," said Leon, pointing to the sofa. He wasn't surprised; that large, flatscreen TV was sweet, after all. There was a passageway beside the TV which he led Percy through. From there, there were three rooms: the bathroom in the middle, a bedroom to their left, and another one to their right. Leon opened the left door.

It was rather… dark. The curtains were drawn - not that there was that much light at this time, anyway. There was a dressing table with a large mirror right across the bed; evidently, the previous occupant was a woman. As for the bed itself… it was large enough for a single person – more than enough for Percy. The thing that caught his eye most, though, was the pretty (well, as far as gadgets went, anyway) laptop at the foot of the bed. "For your pornography-viewing pleasure," Leon quipped, laughing.

"Asshole."

As soon as Leon left, Percy locked the door, turned off the lights and started the aircon. He then opened one of his two bags, changed his clothes and removed his glasses, then lay down on the bed. "It's been a long day…" he muttered to himself. "Well, goodnight, Percy!"

He turned to his side and dozed off soon after.

8:00 AM the next morning, a deafening clang forced him from his sleep. "Where's the thunder?" he mumbled as he jerked awake. The lights suddenly came on as Leon entered the room, holding a set of cymbals. "Good morning, Sleeping Beauty," he grinned. "Your breakfast is ready!"

Quite a sight greeted Percy as he beheld what was on the dining table: roasted chicken for breakfast! He was right; Leon really DID know how to live. "I went out to buy food while you were sleeping," he called from the sink, where he was busy washing his own plate. "Eat up, bro. It's not bad," he encouraged. "Besides, you'll need it for what you'll see next."

An hour later, after Percy had finished the morning rituals, Leon led him to the garage from outside. At a press of a button, the door opened, revealing… a large, blue motorcycle bearing slight similarities to Leon's own Kabuto Extender. A buzzing sound could be heard from inside; a second later, out flew a blue, beetle-like creature also similar to the Kabuto Zecter. "Gatack," Leon spoke to it. "Meet your new master," he cocked his head in Percy's direction. Promptly, the Zecter began zooming around and all over its new owner, who, in surprise, backed away.

"He won't hurt you, don't worry," Leon assured him. "If you're in a tight spot, he'll come to you. You've seen how I transform, right?" he asked; Percy nodded. "…Yep, same applies to Gatack. You'll know what else to do from there," he gave a thumbs-up as his partner mounted the Gatack Extender.

"Don't worry, I'll give you a hand if you need it," Leon smiled, "Take good care of her, alright!" Percy nodded as he started the bike and sped away. "Bye!"

And as he left, Leon donned his mask and reentered the house; it was about time for his day duty as well.

_Welcome to ZECT, Percy,_ he thought, smiling to himself.

tbc


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5: His First

Unlike Leon, Percy didn't handle the Gatack Extender like he was king of the road; he was careful to follow traffic rules and road courtesy. For one thing, despite having been given (actually, 'entrusted' would be a more appropriate word) the Gatack Zecter, he wasn't yet part of ZECT, which meant he didn't have the excuse to disregard traffic rules. Besides, it just wasn't his style. While driving safely was a bit slower than how Leon operated his own bike, it was a lot safer.

Unfortunately, it also had the side effect of causing him to arrive a bit… late; traffic in Metro Manila was horrible, especially at this time. Come to think of it, he probably _could_ have transformed into Gatack and gone super-speed just like Leon would, but he didn't want to transform for such a stupid reason. Besides, the risk of revealing himself in front of the entire student body, to say nothing of Rianne and her girls, sure as hell wasn't worth it.

Finally, he arrived in front of his school, zipping past the front gate before the guards could react. Once he reached the front of the nursing building, Percy did a 90-degree turn towards the parking space, dismounting once he'd settled the Extender among the other vehicles. "Not bad for the first ride," he said to himself, grinning. He stepped back and admired the Gatack Extender for a moment; like its brother, the Kabuto Extender, it really was a fine piece of work. Part of him wanted to sign up for ZECT right now, if only for this…

Just then, a frightened scream jolted him out of his reverie. Swearing loudly, Percy ran off in the direction of St. Maur's hall, a popular student hangout, from where the scream seemed to have come.

Emily ducked as a pale, gray Worm tried to decapitate her with the blade on its right arm, and backed away as dread filled her heart. It was only one, but from what she'd seen, these guys could move like lightning; they could be a mile from you one moment, and then beside you the next. She closed her eyes as tears began to fall. "Shade… Leon… PERCY!!" She was desperate right now, what would one expect?

A moment later, though, there came the sound of mechanical buzzing as a small, blue blur was keeping the Worm at bay. Emily looked up to see someone familiar in front of her: Percy. "What - ?" she muttered, blankly. He caught the blue thing in his hand as it flew toward him, then glanced at her for a split second.

"Not a word of this to Rianne and the others, Emily…" he said in that serious voice he hardly ever used with her. "Henshin!"

"_HENSHIN._"

Compared to the Kabuto Zecter, the Gatack Zecter's voice was higher-pitched and somehow sounded less mechanical. But just as with Shade, a bulky, silver suit of armor enveloped Percy from head to foot. However, unlike Kabuto's red color scheme, this one was blue instead of red and featured cannons on both of its shoulders. He fired off a few shots at the Worm as covering fire before pulling the top mandible of the Gatack Zecter upward; his armor popped slightly outwards.

"Cast Off!" Percy shouted as he pulled the mandibles all the way back.

"_CAST OFF – CHANGE STAG BEETLE!_"

When the dust cleared, Percy's armor changed from bulky and silver to navy blue all over. He now sported horns on either side of his head resembling that of a stag beetle. Also, the cannons on his shoulders just earlier were replaced by a set of twin blades, the Gatack Caliburs. Percy drew these and prepared to begin his assault on the Worm, which had been knocked back by the armor pieces launched by his Cast Off.

The sounds of blades clashing could be heard as Gatack and the Worm had an intense, Clocked Up battle all over St. Maur's hall, soon spilling over into the driveway. To Percy's delight, he was getting the hang of this quickly; it was like an invisible hand was guiding his every move. He tossed both Caliburs into the Worm's stomach, causing it to roar in pain as purple blood leaked from the wound. He then drew both arms back, catching the Caliburs and replacing them on his shoulders. And when he glanced briefly over his shoulder, he could see Emily watching him in awe.

Percy's right hand found a button on the right side – that was to say, the rear end – of the Gatack Zecter. He pressed it. "_One._"

As the Worm made one last, desperate charge, he greeted it with a knee to its still-bleeding stomach and a punch to the face that knocked it down momentarily. "_Two – Three._" He then pulled the mandibles back to their default position; electricity played at Gatack's horns as he did so.

"Rider Kick!" shouted Percy as he pulled the mandibles back again. "_RIDER KICK!_"

He then ran at the Worm, destroying it with a side kick to the chest. A moment after that, he reverted to his normal form as the Gatack Zecter flew away; in gratitude, Emily hugged him. "Err, no – " he spluttered, bewildered as he tried to get her off. "Not right now, Emily – "

She let Percy go, but continued to gaze at him rapturously, embarrassing him greatly. "I'm serious," his voice was both menacing and desperate at the same time. "Emily – you CAN'T tell them about this. Got it?" He stared wildly into her eyes. After a minute, though, she smiled mischievously.

"Don't worry about it," she said. "But… I want something in exchange," she grinned, giggling madly.

"What – "

The rest of Percy's words were drowned as Emily's lips met his. He felt his face – no, _his whole body_ burning; he wouldn't have been surprised if steam shot out of his ears right now. After a few moments – days – maybe even years – they broke apart, Percy gasping for breath, eyes wide with shock. "Thanks," whispered Emily. "You were my first."

"I saw that, you two!"

To Percy's horror and Emily's utter elation, it was Rianne and Kathy, both with broad grins on their faces. "So is that why you two didn't go to class?" asked the former, barely able to contain her amusement. "You've been making out down here?"

"You ought to choose a more secure location, Emily," Kathy pulled an expression of mock disappointment, "There are lots of safer places to do it in! And you chose right here in the middle of the hall!?"

Percy was luckily spared the humiliation of answering as he felt his phone vibrate; someone texted. His numb fingers found the phone and pulled it out of his pocket as he looked to see who it was: Leon. "_Can you make it to Tropical Hut? There's someone I'd like you to meet. Thanks._"

Glad of an excuse to leave the girls, Percy ran to the exit without a second thought. Unknown to them, though, a cloaked figure was standing on the roof, having witnessed the whole thing. "Poor Percy," he chuckled. "Well, it happened for a reason, I suppose…"

"That was quite a fight you put up there."

These were Leon's first words as Percy sat down beside him, face still slightly red from Emily's… surprise. "And congratulations, partner," he laughed, slapping him on the back. "She was your first, too, right?" He took an extra large gulp of soda as he said this, and handed another bottle to his friend.

"Don't mention that to me…" Percy muttered blankly, taking half out of his burger in one bite. "I wouldn't have minded too much but then Rianne and friends saw it, too! You saw how they laughed, right!?"

But Leon wasn't listening as he brought spoonful after spoonful of spaghetti into his mouth. "My teacher once told me," he began when he'd swallowed his food, "To feel is not a weakness. Because it is only in feeling that we become what we ought to be," he finished, wiping his mouth and bringing his utensils together. "Besides, it could've been worse, right? At least our secret is safe." He winked at Percy, who brightened up a little as his hand went up to his mouth.

"Yeah," he said in a small voice. "Actually, she was…"

At that moment, though, Leon stood up in the direction of the door, pulling him up as well. It was a tall, handsome man in a suit who walked up to Leon and exchanged a high-five. He then offered his hand to Percy, who shook it; this guy was something else. The newcomer then took a seat across Leon, grinning up at the both of them.

"Percy, this is Michael," introduced Leon. "My ZECT handler."

"Pleased to meet you, sir!" Percy greeted quickly, bowing his head. Now he was _really_ impressed; he saw now where Leon learned his lessons from. The man called Michael laughed merrily as he surveyed the neophyte, who was staring at him. It reminded him of that night in the hospital where he had first met Leon.

"Now… Percy, was it?" he inquired; Percy nodded. "I'd like to officially welcome you to ZECT."

He gagged on his soda at this; his ears were probably dirty, or he wouldn't have heard what he just did. "What!?" he jumped slightly in his seat as he heard this. "Welcome – me - ZECT?"

Michael nodded and smiled. "That's right. As Leon here told me," he explained, nodding toward Leon, "You and Gatack seem to be compatible with each other. It usually ends up attacking anyone who tries to lay a hand on it, you see. Only Leon was able to tame it, but," he let out a sigh, "Well, he can't be two Riders at the same time, right? Oh, and," he added, pulling out a check, "This is for that Worm you defeated just now."

Percy thought he couldn't be anymore surprised than he was right now, but he was wrong. The check amounted to… fifty thousand dollars – which, if he remembered right, was a little over two million pesos when converted! He looked at Leon, who grinned back. "Now I see how you can afford all that shit…" he muttered before looking back at the man called Michael. "Sure, why not? If it's something only I can do, then…" he trailed off.

Michael smiled. "Thanks for seeing it our way. Now," his tone became formal, "What codename do you want? It's a bit of a custom among the Riders," he explained. "Leon here is codenamed Shade." _So that's why,_ thought Percy.

"Well…" Percy thought for a moment, then he thought of the perfect one for him. He thought of the times he had hung around with Rianne and friends, before Leon's supposed death; they complained that the two of them had the habit of disappearing like ghosts whenever they snuck off to play games on their own. And it was those memories that gave him an idea; he addressed Michael as a smile formed on his face. "How's 'Phantom'?"

"Phantom it is, then," Michael grinned as he punched in some keys on his phone. "Hey, you'd better go now, Percy," Leon reminded the youth, who jumped; he had been silent for a long while up till now. "Behave, alright?" he shouted after Percy, who was already on his way to cross the street. He turned back to Leon and gave a thumbs-up.

"Gatack is in good hands, bro. I can tell."

Meanwhile…

_This is good, this is great, this is awesome!_

Percy walked back to school, his heart beating a mile a minute. He couldn't believe it; he was now in ZECT! Not to mention, he was the only other person who could tame the Gatack Zecter, aside from Leon – who had no use for it anyway as he was already Kabuto. Heart swelling with pride, he walked along the walls of the campus, preparing to go back inside for the rest of his classes. But –

His heart felt like it fell out of his chest as he saw…

_Emily. With another guy._

He didn't even know why he felt this way, after having been horrified by that kiss just earlier. But what Percy did know is that he didn't like what he was feeling now. From being on cloud nine a moment ago, now he felt like the cloud had evaporated beneath his feet and he was falling through the air. _This is bad, this is horrible… this is stupid._

But then, he remembered what Leon told him just a while ago:

_To feel is not a weakness. Because it is only in feeling that we become what we ought to be._

Until now, Percy had never felt anything like this. But then, there was a first time for everything, right?

tbc


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6: Shot Through The Heart

Percy ran up to Emily frantically, panting as though having run a marathon. He looked up at her, wild-eyed, and then the other guy, whose expression was one of puzzlement and mild amusement. "Your friend, Emily?" he asked in a warm voice, then extended his hand to Percy, who reluctantly took it.

She looked from Percy to the other guy and back again. "Drew, this is Percy. Perce, this is Drew," she introduced them, smiling. "My boyfriend."

If Percy felt like he was falling through the air a moment ago, he had by now landed on the ground with a sickening, painful crunch. She had a boyfriend, and he didn't even know – they were close friends, so his resentment at being kept in the dark did have at least a little justification. Nevertheless, he hid all this as he smiled back at Drew and then at Emily. "S-Since when?" he asked politely, though in truth he was a bit… paranoid about it.

"Oh," Emily laughed as she looked at Drew, who himself started laughing. "Just… ten minutes ago?" she said, blushing. "He's been courting me for the past month, though…"

Double ouch. Not only was Percy left out of the loop, he, who had known Emily for a year now, just got beaten to it by some guy she probably only met a while back! This time, he wasn't quite as successful at hiding his agitation; his ears were glowing bright red. And apparently, Drew noticed it too. "You ok, bro?" he asked, concerned; he was clueless as to why the other guy seemed embarrassed. At these words, Percy recovered and grinned sheepishly at him.

"I'm just fine!" he replied, perhaps a little too brightly. "Well, I'll be off. Have fun, you two!" he patted Emily's shoulder as he ran off; where to, he didn't know. Anywhere was fine right now, as long as they weren't there with him.

"What's up with him?" Emily wondered aloud, about ten seconds later.

Percy found his way to his usual seat in GP, logged on, and clicked on the _Left 4 Dead_ icon, oblivious to the tears running down his face. The injustice of it all! How could Emily, his close friend for a year, choose some other fucker over him? A month was hardly enough time for her to get to know him properly, right? Not to mention, he knew absolutely _nothing_ about Drew before today. And here he thought friends weren't supposed to keep secrets from each other…

_Hey, look who's talking. What about your keeping Leon from them, eh?_ asked a small voice in his head.

_That's different, it's for the best! Besides, it's what he wants!_

In an attempt to justify his envy, Percy recalled one thing to mind: relationships born of whirlwind romances usually didn't last. They ended quickly, or, were long and agonizing for both parties. He tried further to convince himself he was merely concerned for Emily; he'd witnessed this before, and it wasn't pretty. _Just admit it, Percy,_ came the voice with its snide rebuttal. _You want her, and you know it._

Just then, someone screamed outside. He rushed out the door and saw an amber-colored Worm with spikes jutting out of its back. It walked in his direction as soon as it saw him; everywhere he looked, people were fleeing in terror. Percy smiled vindictively as he stared down the Worm, his temples throbbing. The revelation that Emily had a boyfriend put him in a foul mood; now, he was gonna take it out on this little sucker.

He then raised his hand, caught the Gatack Zecter, and slid it across his belt. "Henshin!" he cried.

"_HENSHIN._"

Percy disappeared in a flash of light; standing in his place was Gatack in his Masked Form. He fired off a few rounds at the Worm, but these only seemed to anger it. It stretched out its arms, which shot tentacles that ensnared him and drew him closer. The two traded punches and kicks for a while, neither gaining the upper hand, until Percy nailed it with a good shot to the groin area that left it staggering. He then pulled his Zecter's mandibles slightly upward. "Cast Off!"

"_CAST OFF – CHANGE STAG BEETLE!_"

Percy then took the shotels from his shoulders and charged the Worm, slashing wildly everywhere. His ferocity was such that he left it little room to counterattack; any counterblows he did make, Percy either shrugged off, evaded or intercepted before they actually landed. And as it staggered backwards, he looked down for a moment pressed the finisher button thrice.

But when Percy turned back to the Worm, it had gone – no doubt Clocked Up while he wasn't looking. He roared out loud in rage and frustration, when his cellphone rang.

"Come home right now, it's important," he could barely hear Leon's voice over the static. "Something's come up."

An hour later, when he had returned to the camp…

"We've detected a Worm," said Michael as he sat at the head of the dining table, his face hidden behind a laptop as he drank from a mug of beer. "It's somewhere in your school's area."

"I know… He managed to escape earlier," came Percy's hesitant reply; he stared at his hands on his lap, which burned with guilt, anger and frustration at his failure. "I'll get my hands on him next time, though," he added, looking up at Michael and Leon.

"Good," Michael nodded approvingly, smiling. "Leon's got another assignment tomorrow, so you'll be on your own, Percy. We'll assign you a squad of ZECT Troopers as backup, but try not to rely on them," he added casually. A moment later, he leaned in and beckoned him closer, as if wanting to whisper something. "If you ask me, all they're good for is cannon fodder."

All three of them laughed at this. When the laughter died down, he addressed Leon next. "Leon, you'll be assisting Team SHADOW," he directed. "You're to raid a possible Worm breeding ground. Try to get along with Eric – err, I mean, Agent Wraith, alright?"

The next morning, Emily headed for their classroom, her heart all a-flutter. Today was to be hers and Drew's first date; in fact, she seriously considered not attending class today, but her status as a scholar forbade it. Being absent for a whole day was a black mark against her, no matter what the circumstances… being absent for one or two classes, though, was a different story.

_I'll get Percy to come along, too,_ she thought happily; the only thing better than a day with her boyfriend was a day with her boyfriend AND one of her best friends.

When she entered, though, Percy's usual seat was empty; a quick survey of the place and her classmates' faces told her that he wasn't even there yet. _Hmm, maybe he's just late?_ Thought Emily. It sometimes happened, anyway; he had a bad habit of oversleeping thanks to his gaming habit.

But when her first class had ended and he _still_ wasn't there, Emily began to worry. Even when he was late, Percy usually arrived within the first ten minutes of class, or at the very least halfway through. She looked at Rianne and Kathy, who were in the middle of the usual morning gossip, and tugged on the former's sleeve.

"You don't think something happened to him, do you?" she asked Rianne, who merely gave her a small smile in return.

"Don't worry about it," Rianne replied in a reassuring tone. "He can take care of himself, you know that. Besides, if you worry too much it might come true," she joked.

At that moment, Emily's phone beeped: it was Drew. "_I'll wait for you at the grandstand, alright? I love you, Emily!_"

Sure enough, Drew was right there waiting for her when their morning classes had ended. "Still pretty as always," he grinned as he gave Emily a peck on the cheek. "Whoa, what's this? Your chaperones?" he added suddenly, in amazement as he found a whole cadre of men in dark uniforms and insect-like helmets. They held what looked like customized M4A1s in their arms, which they pointed at Drew. At that moment, he was joined by three Pupaworms who took their place behind him.

Emily took a step back, horrified. "No…" she gasped. "Drew… What did you do with Drew!?" she demanded.

But he just laughed. "Emily, what're you saying?" he asked, almost mockingly, as he transformed into a Worm himself. "I _am_ Drew."

He then proceeded to down the Troopers one by one; their fire didn't even come close to hitting him. When the last one went down, he turned back to the petrified Emily, reverted to human form and extended his hand. "C'mon, join with us," he offered, smiling even as his fellow monsters advanced on his girlfriend. "We'll be king and queen of the Worms!"

But before the Pupaworms could so much as touch Emily, a blue, stag beetle creature zoomed all around them, attacking. It then shot past the Worm that was Drew into the hand of a bespectacled young man.

Percy.

"A friend once told me," he began. "'To feel love is not a weakness,'" he quoted, paraphrasing what Leon had said. "'Because it is only in loving that we become what we ought to be.'" As he said this, he slid the Gatack Zecter onto his belt. "Henshin!"

"_HENSHIN._"

He then destroyed the Pupas with a single volley from his Vulcans. Drew, in anger, went Worm once more as he charged Gatack, who did nothing but stand there and absorb the blows. Emily watched in horror as the Worm that was her boyfriend continued the punishment on Percy, who still refused to lift a hand even in his own defense. She fell to her knees completely when a particularly vicious blow sent him sprawling a few feet away; Drew was apparently dead, and if this went on, so would Percy.

"Fight already, Percy!" she screamed. "I don't want to lose you, too!"

He turned to look at her, then shook his head. "Is that what you really want, Emily? He's your boyfriend," he pointed out sadly.

And a moment later, Drew's image appeared from the Worm, a mournful expression on his face as he looked at her. "You wouldn't let him kill me… right? I'm the only one who loved you… I alone called you beautiful…"

Tears in her eyes, Emily looked at Percy and slowly nodded. With renewed resolve, he got to his knees and dodged a kick aimed for his head, rolling out of the way and into a crouching position. "Cast Off."

"Now, where were we?" Percy said as he assumed Rider Form, Gatack Caliburs in each hand as he cracked his neck, itching to finish his business with the Worm. "Oh, right," he muttered in a slightly mad tone as he tossed both Caliburs at his opponent, which buried themselves into its shoulders as it let out a scream of pain. Each punch and kick that Percy landed on the Worm was filled with rage for its breaking Emily's heart.

Finally, a solid kick sent the Worm flying into a tree, which swayed violently as it hit. As before, Percy pressed the button on his Zecter's rear end: "_One – two – three._" Energy started playing in the space between his horns as he pushed the mandibles forward, then pulled them back. "Rider Kick!"

"_RIDER KICK._"

The energy went all the way down to his foot as he landed a final, flying front kick at the Worm, then somersaulted backwards. The Worm, obviously defeated, reverted to Drew's form as he staggered in vain towards Emily before falling to the ground. A moment later, he exploded.

Meanwhile, Percy, who also reverted, walked up to Emily, who still sat there in utter disbelief. She brought her eyes upwards to face Percy, who knelt down beside her. "It's alright," he said. "I'm here. Always will be."

Wordlessly, she embraced him tightly, her tears drenching the front of his shirt.

tbc


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7: The Shadow of Justice

"This is Agent Shade. I'm in the auditorium… This is where all the eggs are – oh, _shit._"

Leon broke off when he saw that about a dozen Pupaworms had him surrounded from all sides. It was a bad move on his part; he had offered to scout ahead, underestimating the Worms' numbers. Even as he held his Kunai at the ready, he realized even a Rider such as himself couldn't go up against this many Worms alone. Just then, though, there came the sound of gunfire as the Worms exploded in green fireballs around him. He then turned toward the source.

"Leon, that's what you get for being too full of yourself," chastised an older man wearing a mask with swirl patterns; he seemed to be the leader of the ZECT Troopers assigned to this mission – the elite squad known as SHADOW. He then turned to his members, and then to Leon. "Leave this to me."

"Thanks, Eric – I mean, Wraith…" Leon acknowledged grudgingly as he made his way to where the SHADOW Troopers were.

"SHADOW, clear the area," came Eric's next command.

The Troopers then opened fire on the Worm eggs, which exploded one by one. At that moment, though, there was a scream as one of them was attacked by an evolved Worm that bore semblance to a mosquito. Eric then raised his right hand into the air and looked in its direction. "Come! TheBee Zecter!"

As a creature resembling a hornet flying straight into his right hand, he stepped forward to confront the monster. "Henshin!" he shouted as he placed the Zecter on a brace on his left wrist.

As it echoed this word, a bulky armor, different in appearance from Kabuto's and Gatack's, formed all over his body. The Worm made the first attack, a forward thrust with the spike on its arm, but Eric dodged this and countered with a punch to its face. Another stab came, which he parried and countered with a left body blow. The Worm then kicked him away as it began to move at blinding speed, sending SHADOW members flying as it ran around.

Eric then flipped out his Zecter's wings and turned it backwards. "Cast Off!"

"_CAST OFF – CHANGE WASP!_"

Pieces of his armor flew off as Eric changed into his leaner Rider form, a black-and-yellow armor whose overall appearance befitted his Zecter's name. He then swiped his fingers across the buckle. "Clock Up."

Time literally slowed down as Eric and the Worm fought it out, the battle slowly but surely turning in the former's favor. Now free of his heavy, restrictive Masked Form armor, it was easy for him to duck and weave around the Worm's attacks. Dodging a particularly deadly blow to his face, he countered with a haymaker that sent the Worm flying. He then followed this up by mauling it, punching again and again as it lay quite still on the ground.

A few moments later, Eric then pressed the button on his Zecter. "Rider Sting!" he shouted; electricity seemed to be playing on the TheBee Zecter's stinger.

"_RIDER STING._"

The Worm exploded after one final punch. Eric stood up and reverted, turning to look at Leon with a grave expression on his face. "You're lucky we were here," he scolded, grabbing him by the collar. "If you pulled a stunt like that by yourself, they'd have eaten you alive!"

Leon defiantly tore away from Eric's grip. "Sorry, _sir_, I'll keep that in mind next time," he apologized sarcastically, complete with a mocking bow. He glared at his elder as he straightened back up. "Your being older doesn't give you the right to order me around, last time I checked…" He turned his back on Eric and the SHADOW Troopers, raising a hand in farewell as he kicked the door open. "Later, old man!" he called, mounting the Kabuto Extender and riding off.

Eric stared after him, letting out a snort in disgust. This was what he saw coming when he learned who Michael had given the Kabuto Zecter to. It wasn't so much that he resented being talked down to by a snot-nosed kid, but that he refused to acknowledge his error. "Alright boys, we're pulling out," he said to his men after a moment. _Damn kid…_

"THE FUCK!?" burst out Leon when Michael told him of the new arrangement, one evening a week after that mission. Eric was being assigned to their area, too? Bullshit! He glanced briefly at Percy, who looked slightly confused and wrong-footed, before returning his gaze to Michael. "B-B-But there's already me and Percy!" he nudged his head in the latter's direction. "One more'll just mess things up…"

Michael smiled at him, a small, regretful, apologetic smile that said plainly that he had no control over the situation. "Sorry about this, guys," he looked at both of them as he said this, "C'mon, though, Eric's not a bad guy. He's just a bit… old-fashioned, that's all." With that, he left the living room. A moment later, the rumbling of his bike's engine told Leon that he had gone. He then punched the wooden table in front of him, causing the vase on it to wobble dangerously.

"Dammit…" Leon grumbled, clearly resenting the circumstances. He didn't like having Eric around; he sure as hell wouldn't appreciate being told what to do in his own territory. But at the same time, he didn't really want to bother the higher-ups about it; they'd probably just laugh in his face. _Well, he'd better not get in my way…_

"…Leon?" Percy said suddenly, making him jump; he'd forgotten that Percy was here, too. "We'd better sleep, it's already late." He pointed at the wall clock, which read 1:17 AM. He smiled at his friend before going to his room. "Goodnight, bro," he called before closing the door and diving onto his bed. _That's right,_ he thought. _Nothing like a good night's sleep to cool your head, right?_

The next day started out as it usually did. They woke up at 6 in the morning, heated up last night's dinner, did their morning business and then prepared to go off. Leon mounted his bike, but just as Percy prepared to get on the Gatack Extender, he shook his head with a slight grimace. "Not today, bro," he said gently. "We're not exempt from the coding scheme, y'know."

"What!?" Percy flushed, incensed; he'd never heard this before. Besides, it went against what Leon said about bending rules! "What happened to 'screw the rules, it's an emergency'?" he demanded.

"Don't worry about it," Leon reassured him. "It'll only be while we're stuck with the old fart," he said, taking a jab at Eric. "He'd love an excuse to call us out. Anyway," he added as he looked at his watch, "Get on already! You've got class, right?"

So they rode at top speed to Mendiola, as usual earning themselves a load of curses and invectives from drivers they overtook. Deftly they made their way through traffic, slipping through tiny gaps and making jumps that nearly made Percy wet his pants – or throw up. This was exactly why he didn't like riding with Leon, and he let this out at the next stop light. "Dude, are you nuts!?" he demanded. "You're gonna get us both killed, at this rate!" But his only response was to laugh.

Then they saw them.

Two cars overtook them and did quick 90-degree turns, blocking their path. The doors opened as a total of eight grown men came out. A second later, they all transformed into Pupaworms, two of which molted into a black Worm with a pair of antennae that resembled a cockroach's. Leon and Percy likewise dismounted the Extender as their Zecters came to them.

"HENSHIN!" they shouted, which their Zecters echoed a moment later. And then, "Cast Off!"

"_CAST OFF – CHANGE BEETLE!_"

"_CAST OFF – CHANGE STAG BEETLE!_"

The armor pieces killed three of the Pupaworms right from the get go. Both Leon and Percy then activated Clock Up, hacking and slashing at the Pupaworms from all angles. When Clock Over occurred, they all exploded. And then, the cockroach Worms began their own attack; Leon barely dodged the heavy arm swung his way, countering with a quick slash from his Kunai. A few feet away, Percy was doing a little bit better; his Caliburs allowed him to keep his opponent at bay.

Then suddenly the Worms were dancing around them, too fast for either of them to counterattack. They went Clock Up once more, allowing them to keep up with the monsters, Leon landing kick after kick into his opponent's gut and Percy slashing away in all the painful areas. As they reeled in pain, the two decided to finish the battle. "_One – two – three._"

"Rider Kick!" they called together, which the Zecters echoed yet again. Both then proceeded to execute their final attacks; a flying heel drop from Leon, and a flying side kick from Percy. As the Worms exploded, Leon reverted to his human form. Percy was about to do the same, but –

"You'll be late," Leon reminded him. "It's still a long way to school from here. Sorry, you've got to walk, bro!"

Percy started. _Oh crap!_ That battle cost them precious minutes, and school wasn't exactly walking distance from here. "What!? I can't make it on foot!" he protested. "And I don't have my bike today, remember!?"

"My teacher once told me," began Leon, as he always did. "To one not accustomed, walking distance becomes distant walking. Besides," he laughed, pointing at Percy's Rider belt. "Why don't you use that little guy over there? You'll get to school and still have time to use the bathroom or something!"

"What - ?" Percy wondered. And then he understood. "_There_ we go! Thanks, Leon!" he exclaimed, slapping his right waist pad. "Clock Up!"

And disappeared into the distance. Leon stared at the spot he had vanished for a moment, then got back on his bike. "I'll be close by if you need me…" he muttered to himself. He then rode off; he and Eric were to meet at a nearby coffee shop.

Meanwhile, Percy (still in Rider form) got to their classroom within seconds of Clock Over. The absence of his classmates told him it was probably flag ceremony; everyone was required to go downstairs. This was a good thing for him right now. It meant that he could revert right here, and still no one would know. Reverting to human form, he pulled out the Zecter as it hovered in front of him for a few moments.

"Lemme know if something happens, alright, little guy?" Percy addressed the Gatack Zecter fondly. When he came to think of it, the Zecters seemed like adorable little guys – and unlike animals, they didn't need to be fed, nor did they crap in the wrong places. In fact, they didn't make a mess at all. It was this reason that he treated his the way he did. After a few moments, it nodded energetically, then flew off.

_Thump._

Percy turned toward the sound; what he saw utterly horrified him. It was Emily and Kathy, the latter of whom had an astonished look on her face. _Oh crap… what do I do now, then? _He thought. As it was, it was a good thing Rianne apparently wasn't with them, or he'd be even more screwed.

"I – I can explain…" he began awkwardly.

tbc


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8: White Devil

"Err…" Percy stammered, his heart leaping into his throat as he saw the two girls; the look of panic on his thin face was proof of that. "That - that... was… my –"

"Pet," Emily finished for him, smiling. "It's something else, too! Tell me, Percy, where can I get one of those?" she piped up, the look on her face being one that screamed 'squee!'. "It's soooo cute!" she squealed, her eyes flashing. "Isn't that right, Kath!?"

She just stared at Emily, who didn't seem to be herself; as far as Kathy knew, Emily was the shrinking violet of their group. To see her acting like some fangirl was a bit… unnerving, to say the least. But she didn't say anything; she just nodded her assent and headed for the classroom door. "Better go in, you two," she looked back at them. "Class'll start any minute."

When Kathy was out of earshot, Percy breathed a sigh of relief as his heart fell right back where it belonged. "Thanks, Emily," he smiled weakly as he wiped his perspiration with a face towel. "You saved my ass back there," he added as he flushed bright red. He hesitated for a moment before continuing. "I… owe you one. Lemme know when you need me to follow through on that, alright?"

Emily grinned broadly, leaning in closer so that she and Percy were almost nose-to-nose. He backed away immediately; was _it_ gonna happen again? And if he was really blessed, her girl friends would be hiding somewhere, catching the whole 'encounter' on cam.

"Don't worry, your secret's safe," she finally said, laughing at his expression of utter bewilderment. Percy followed suit, relieved that what he was thinking didn't come to pass.

Swimming class took place that afternoon, a nice companion to the rainy weather. Though Leon had joked, much to Percy's irritation, that it'd be a chance for him to see just how… beautiful the 'scenery' was, the truth was that boys and girls swam separately. And at any rate, he was hardly the type to do something so outrageous – although he _did_ have the occasional fantasy of peeping into the shower rooms.

His classmates all went their separate ways once the girls took their turn. Percy, though, decided to wait for Emily and friends, keeping himself occupied with his PSP in the meantime. It was a no-brainer, really; ever since that incident with Emily and her Worm-boyfriend, he decided to watch over her for a while. Besides, he knew that half of Leon's motive for partnering him up with the Gatack Zecter was to keep an eye on Rianne, too.

And, just then, something nipped him on the shoulder: his Zecter. Immediately Percy put away his handheld and looked at it. "What is it?" he asked the blue stag beetle-thing. "What's wrong?"

The Zecter nodded twice, then zoomed off in the direction of the swimming pool. "Wait!" called Percy after it, confused, but it didn't turn back. He froze on the spot in hesitation; the girls were swimming right now. And while he very much doubted that his Zecter wanted to play, he didn't exactly want to be branded as a peeping tom, now did he? Right on cue, a voice spoke in his head: his own.

_Screw the rules, it's an emergency._

That was what did it. Besides, if it did turn out to be a Worm, what could the girls do? Having wasted enough time already, Percy ran off to the pool area.

When he got there, though, he was appalled to find not a Worm but a young man, around his age, on the roof. He was clad in a black shirt and faded jeans, sporting a light brown cap and headphones underneath. With him on the roof was a backpack and a guitar. "Hey," Percy called, his voice shaking slightly, "Don't you think you may be just a _little_ bit visible up there?"

The Gatack Zecter zoomed around him excitedly as he glared up at the jerk, who just laughed. "Someone there has something I want," he breathed, lust dripping with every word he spoke. "Something I want, d'you know what I mean?" He then laughed out loud; by now, Percy was livid. It was unbelievable they'd let such a depraved, perverted bastard into school.

A large, dragonfly creature joined him; Percy was thunderstruck as he recognized what it was. "That's – a Zecter!?" he blurted out, shocked. "You – How can you be ZECT!?" he demanded. Maybe it was naïve of him, but being around Leon and Michael gave him the image of ZECT Riders as fine, upstanding protectors of the people rather than pervs who made a hobby out of ogling young women.

"What's wrong?" taunted the boy as he held a sky-blue gun grip, which the dragonfly Zecter landed on. "You're not the only one who can become a Rider! Henshin!"

As with the ZECT Riders, a large, bulky, dragonfly-themed armor encased him as his Zecter triggered the change. Percy made a mental note to report it to Leon and friends later as he clutched the Gatack Zecter in his right hand. But before he himself could transform –

"Umm… excuse me?" said a soft, somewhat shy-sounding voice.

Both Percy and the enigma turned toward the voice, a young girl in an all-black outfit. At the sight, Percy quickly lowered his Zecter, attempting to hide it from view. In contrast, though, the other Rider pointed his gun at the girl. "I've been waiting for you," he said in a light voice, at odds with the gun pointed at her heart. "Tch… girls… you all like to take your time, don't you?"

However, much to Percy's bewilderment, the girl reacted with amusement rather than fear. "It's a girl thing, haven't you heard?" she giggled. "Anyway… But since you're here, sure, I'll play with you… Drake."

She danced on the spot and snapped her fingers, transforming into a Worm: a white-hued, distinctly feminine-looking one with a gigantic crab's claw on its left hand. Percy again attempted to transform, but then Drake aimed the gun at _him_.

"Don't you dare…" he said. "She's mine. I waited for her all afternoon."

He jumped down from the ledge, holding down the trigger as he trained his weapon on the Worm. She staggered as a barrage of bullets ravaged her body. As she fell to her knees, reeling, the Rider called Drake opened his guitar case...

"Dinner time, children," he said mockingly. Percy stared incredulously; what on earth was he talking about? At these words, though, a swarm of mechanical dragonflies, each modeled after the Drake Zecter, began to surround and attack the Worm from all angles as she vainly struggled to fend them off. Percy watched from beside the entrance to the swimming pool. He was impressed, against his will; it seemed you didn't have to be in ZECT to make a good Rider.

After a moment, though, she disappeared from view; as Drake was sent flying by an invisible force, Percy realized that she had Clocked Up. And so did the Rider, as he pulled the switch on his Zecter's tail end. "Cast Off."

"_CAST OFF – CHANGE DRAGONFLY._"

Compared to Drake's Masked Form, which was somehow reminiscent of an armored knight, his Rider Form more closely resembled the dragonfly on which it was modeled after. No sooner had the change completed than he slipped his fingers across the buckle. "Clock Up!"

Time slowed; Drake caught the Worm trying to rush him from behind and shot her within striking distance. After a follow-up shot, he laid aside the gun and begun to engage in hand-to-hand combat. He got upper hand relatively quickly, nailing her with a knee to the gut and an elbow to the back of the neck. But –

"Ack!" he gasped in pain as she caught him with her crab claw. She attempted to follow through with a heavy blow to his face, but Drake was fortunately able to jump back and evade this one. He saw his gun, the Drake Grip, lying a distance away and dove for it, but the Worm beat him to it, her claw pointing at his throat as he made to pick it up. He flinched at the sight.

"I win," sang the Worm. Her voice had reverted to that of the little girl that was her alter ego, but it was a lot creepier now that her true form was apparent. But Drake just laughed.

"…Children!"

The swarm of dragonflies attacked. She was forced to turn her attention away from Drake, once again trying to get the damned things off her face. "I forgot to mention," Drake said offhandedly. "Those babies can Clock Up, too. They seem to like you, too, I gotta say!" he added as he folded his Zecter's wings together. "Rider Shooting!" he called.

"_RIDER SHOOTING._"

A large ball of blue energy burst forth from the Drake Grip, blasting the Worm and sending her flying a good distance away from both Drake and Percy; also, as if right on cue, Clock Over occurred. Clearly hurt, the Worm reverted to her human form as she panted and gasped for breath. "Impressive…" she muttered. "I've underestimated you, it seems."

"You…" It was Percy who spoke, though, and not Drake. "What's your purpose here? What're you guys after, hmm?" He knew it was a bit ludicrous to try and talk to Worms, but there was nothing to be lost in trying, now was there? Besides, a look at their motives might help ZECT respond to Worm attacks better.

"What _I'm_ after?" the girl asked, puzzled. "I'm what you call the Worms'… disciplinarian. I punish those of my kind who misbehave."

Percy snorted derisively at these words. "Load of crap…" he muttered. "Don't screw around!" he retorted. "Answer my question, dammit!"

But she ignored this as she laughed softly. "…Alright, I'll humor you, boy," she nodded. "I'm not the only Worm in this shit hole you call a school. I'd look closer to home, if I were you…"

Before Percy could get another word out of her, she disappeared in a cloud of white rose petals. Barely keeping his frustration in check, he rounded on Drake, who had reverted to human form as well. "You… How'd you know she was here, by the way?" he asked, his tone noticeably less forceful than before.

"We've met," replied Drake. "I also know she watches them girls at this time, on this day, every week. Maybe she's after someone you know?" he suggested. At that moment, he heard voices coming from the shower room; the girls were done, it seemed. "Well, I'm off. Later!"

"Enjoy the show, much?" said a familiar female voice: Rianne's. "Were you there the whole time, Percy?" she demanded, her voice cracking.

No sooner had Drake gone than the girls arrived. Each had an identical murderous expression on her face as they saw Percy, who hadn't moved from his spot. The color drained from his face as he attempted a feeble grin at them. "Err… Hi," he began, sheepishly. "How was swim class, then?"

The looks Rianne and Kathy gave him told him plainly he was screwed.

tbc


End file.
